Main Entry: pri·mor·di·al

Pronunciation: \prī-ˈmȯr-dē-əl\

Function: adjective

Etymology: Middle English, from Late Latin primordialis, from Latin primordium origin, from primus first + ordiri to begin — more at prime, order

Date: 14th century

1 a : first created or developed : primeval 1 b : existing in or persisting from the beginning (as of a solar system or universe) <a primordial gas cloud> c : earliest formed in the growth of an individual or organ : primitive <primordial cells>
2 : fundamental, primary <primordial human joys — Sir Winston Churchill>

— pri·mor·di·al·ly \-dē-ə-lē\ adverb